Read what the players and coaches had to say following Boston's 108-83 victory over Cleveland.
Click on a player to reveal quotes from their postgame press conference.
BRAD STEVENS
RE: Brad, what did you think of the job Marcus Morris did with help on LeBron? Also he had been in a shooting slump and he scored a lot of points tonight too
RE: Brad, you guys seemed to be very aggressive out of the gate, attacking the paint, particularly with Jaylen [Brown] and Al [Horford] in the first quarter. Was that the game plan going in, just attack from there
RE: Just how much did Al pack into those 25minutes tonight
RE: They sliced that lead down to, I think, 14 going into the fourth quarter. Looked like they had something going, and you guys jumped on them early in the fourth and got to a 7-0 run. What do you say to that crew? That's a defensive minded crew, what was the message to them going in there
RE: Conventional wisdom says you don't poke the bear. Marcus was pretty frank with his comments coming into this game in terms of what he planned to do. How did you feel about that
MARCUS MORRIS
RE:Marcus, LeBron can be intimidating. Why doesn't he intimidate you, and why did you look forward to guarding him?
RE: You said you did look forward to guarding him. Why is that
RE: Marcus, during the first couple rounds you hadean up-and-down shooting stretch there. This was, I think, maybe your best showing of the postseason. What allowed you to get your rhythm out there tonight
RE: With the way you guys were guarding LeBron, did you sense a change in him as the game went along? Just you're taking away him first in the passing lanes. Did he change?
RE: Jaylen [Brown] and Jayson [Tatum], we've been watching these guys all year. But can you speak to them at their young age being able to perform like this on this kind of stage?
AL HORFORD
RE: Al, you guys have been a better offensive team in the playoffs than you were in the regular season.Is the ability to focus on a single matchup and sort of know where you're going to have advantages apart of that
RE: What sustained that 25-2 run in the first quarter?
RE: Al, what did it mean, do you think to the team, particularly the younger guys on the team, to have Marcus embrace the challenge of defending LeBron, even if he was going to have help, and even if he wasn't really that successful and it had turned out that way, just that somebody would meet that challenge?
RE: Talking to you guys the last couple days and now seeing the performance that you put forth today, it just seemed like you guys had so much confidence coming into the series. How different did it feel as a team coming into this Game 1 as opposed to last year coming into Game 1 against that Cavs team that wound up going to The Finals?
RE: Brad mentioned the poise that you guys have shown so far, at least in this particular game as opposed to last year against the Cavaliers. That fourth quarter as it began, what is the message in the huddle and how did you guys show your poise in that first minute?
JAYLEN BROWN
RE: How Important was it to set the tone early
RE: Marcus Morris
RE: How important was it to establish home court after the record you have had with LeBron (James) in the playoffs?
TERRY ROZIER
RE: Do you think this is a statement game for your team
RE: How different is your confidence today compared to what it was last year?
RE: What was the key to you guys staying connected to LeBron (James) throughout the game but not letting the guys around him be open either?
JAYSON TATUM
RE: Tonight’s win
RE: What is it like being out there with LeBron
RE: Jaylen Brown
RE: Rebounding has been an issue against the Cavs. How were you guys able to secure the boards?
TYRONN LUE
RE: Where do you start with this one
RE: [Marcus] Morris and [Al] Horford were obviously too much for you guys tonight. But how hard is it to make adjustments when it seems like you just didn’t play well across the board?
RE: What did Marcus Morris and the other Celtics do to contain LeBron?
RE: Was it anything different than you've seen before?
RE: You were off almost a week. I know you don’t like to make excuses, but is it as much mental rust as it is physical rust, something like that?
LEBRON JAMES
RE: What did you think of the job -- I know he had a lot of help -- that Marcus Morris did guarding you?
RE: LeBron, what did you see differently from the Celtics defensively that you maybe didn't see against the Pacers or the first round matchup, or the Raptors?
RE: LeBron, speaking of history, this building has been the scene of some of your greatest playoff accomplishments and some disappointments along the way too. Those Celtics teams were built much differently though, veteran teams, Hall of Famers. How is this challenge different for you, and how are you different now than you were back then?
RE: LeBron, you got started off 0-for-14 from three. When you're having a game like that, do you think that you and your teammates can feel the misses going into the next shot, and what do you feel about three-point shots moving forward in this series for you guys as a team?
RE: But you were talking about how the three is part of your DNA. You could change a lineup and go with a much different look. You could have Tristan[Thompson] in the frontcourt, which would change matchups. Did you see enough in one game to want to go in that direction, or do you stay with what got you here?
RE: Al Horford made a couple plays in that early run for them. How important was that to set the tone for this game?
RE: I'm saying they were, but I'm asking did that affect the way you guys executed your plays in the half-court?
RE: LeBron, you guys were off practically a week. Did you feel that you might have lost some of your rhythm as a result? Was it kind of loose at the beginning of the game for you guys?
RE: Start of the fourth, I think they cut it to 14. Do you have any idea what -- I mean, I think they scored seven quick ones. Any idea what happened there?
JR SMITH
RE: What’s an appropriate response to a performance like this?
RE: Did this feel like the start to the Pacers series or did it feel even worse in terms of not hitting shots and them being so physical?
RE: What do you think made (the Celtics) so effective defensively?
KYLE KORVER
RE: Is it just bad one bad game or something more worrisome
RE: What are some of the things you can do better?
RE: What made the Celtics so tough defensively?
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